The ad also attacks Murphy’s opponent Chris Gibson, a retired Army colonel from Kinderhook, as being supported by people who want to sack Medicare. Gibson’s own statements have not been as harsh.

It’s interesting that Murphy, D-Glens Falls, responded with a “contrast” ad so quickly. A poll released last week showed he is leading Gibson by 17 points. The non-partisan Factcheck.org questioned the attack ad’s claim that the health care bill “cut” $500 billion from Medicare.

The ad is above, the script is below.

Narrator: Seen this nice lady on TV?

Lady: “And this November, you’re fired.”

Narrator: Somebody sure fooled her …Because in his first year in Congress, Scott Murphy helped strengthen Medicare. He voted to close the donut hole in Medicare prescription drug benefits. And Scott Murphy led the fight to crack down on sixty billion dollars a year in Medicare fraud.

Chris Gibson is backed by politicians who want to replace Medicare with vouchers and cut Medicare benefits by seventy five percent.

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.